October Cookies / Take 2

Our latest Challenge at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie  is perfect for this time of year and might be the most fun I have this Halloween, since COVID seems to be putting a damper on trick or treating !! And the colors would also be a fun combination for a project !!

I had such a good time making this card ..  I used supplies from a few of my favorite companies - Rubber Moon , Paper House Productions and Recollections at Michaels . It was a quick card to put together with minimal coloring.. I hope you like it as much as I do ..

Things That Go Bump In The Night

• On a gray card base, I adhered a piece of  orange paper from the Paper House pad - Color Washed. This is a gorgeous paper pad and even though the pad is sold out, you can still find some gorgeous single sheets over at Paper House .
• I stamped the String o' Jacks from Rubber Moon on watercolor paper with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam ink . This stamp was designed by Marylinn Kelly - take a look at all of her designs for Rubber Moon HERE .
• The image was colored with my Copics .
• I adhered a strip of pumpkin washi along the top of the pumpkin image.
• I popped the pumpkin image up on the orange paper with foam tabs .
• 2 strips of narrow Halloween washi from Recollections were placed above and below the popped up pumpkins.
• A sentiment from Idea-ology Small Talk was adhered on the bottom right corner of the orange paper.

This Challenge will be the last one for 2020. We've had a fabulous year bringing you some amazing Inspiration photos and have had wonderful projects linked up by our followers.  But we will be taking a break to regroup and hope to be back next year .. 2021 can only be better -- am I right ?!?!?! We would still love for you to link up a project with us this time !!

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity ..

Stay Creative...

Debra Davison

October Cookies / Take 1

Challenge #153 over at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie  is all about the colors and cookies of Fall . I want to grab a few of those cookies and sit down with a nice cup of coffee. After all, today is International Coffee Day !! 

I used the colors of Fall for my latest card . I have been creating with some fun digi stamps by Not 2 Shabby and Better with a Friend is my latest favorite !!

• I printed the Better with a Friend  image on Strathmore Marker Paper to fit on a pale blue card base . 
• The image was colored with Copic Ciao markers.
• I adhered the colored image to the pale blue base with my Pink Scotch ATG Gun.
• The scarf was paper-pieced with a piece of Fall patterned plaid scrapbook paper.

You should check out all of the fabulous digi-stamps HERE that Not 2 Shabby has to offer. They also have a variety of other stamps and supplies . My teammates have also used the fun Inspiration Photo to create their projects too -- you can find them over at our main BLOG . This Challenge is open through October 14 and we would love for you to join us by linking up a project of your own..

Take care of yourselves and until next time, Stay Creative and wear your mask !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

 

September Cookies / Take 2

The inspiration photo for the latest If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge made me want to make a nice cup of tea and nibble on those gorgeous gem cookies !! And the jewel tones are absolutely beautiful !! We hope that you will also be inspired and join in on this Challenge with us - you have through Wednesday, Sept. 30 to link up a project of your own.

It took me a few days to figure out what I wanted to do for this Challenge but then I saw the mason jar stamp and envisioned it full of brightly-colored gemstones.. 

• I stamped the mason jar and string tie onto a piece of pink ledger paper that I had cut to fit on the front of a dotted Kraft card base. The stamp set is by Recollections from Michaels and I recently purchased it on clearance for $1.47. 
• The label was stamped on a cream piece of scrap paper. and then fussy-cut All were stamped with Gina K Amalgam Jet Black Ink .
• I printed the Digi Gem images, which I had sized to fit in the jar, colored them with my Copics  and then fussy-cut them. They are from Scrapster by MHdesigns on Etsy . 
• The gems were adhered inside the jar with Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Adhesive.
• I paper-punched the hole for the tag then adhered it to the string tie.
• I placed 2 strips of washi tape down the left side of the stamped piece.
• The entire stamped image was popped up on the Kraft card base with foam tabs.

The same week I was working on this card, my guy bought our cat, Pixie a new collar. I did not see it until the card was complete and it was so perfect that I had to include a picture !! Coincidence  ?? I think not !!

I hope you will take a look at all of the team member's projects over at the Challenge Blog . As we enter a Fall season that is still dealing with COVID, I hope that you all are staying safe and happy and creative !!

Until next time ......

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

September Cookies / Take 1

It's Back To School for the latest If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge .That is looking a bit different this year, depending on where you live .. Are your children going virtual, heading to a classroom OR something hybrid ?? Whatever it is, I know it must be challenging !! So let's have some fun and get inspired by our latest photo ...

I actually had a piece of scrap paper with pencils on it that started my idea for this card...   And this stamp set by A Jillian Vance Design Coffee and Books is one of my all-time favorites !! 

• Using my MISTI,  I stamped the sentiment and book image on a piece of Strathmore Marker Paper with Gina K Amalgam Jet Black Ink.
• I cut the paper to fit on a Blue Blackboard base card and adhered the stamped image to the base. 
• The cup and books were colored with Copic Markers.
• Clear Glitter Wink of Stella was added to the coffee cup for shimmer.
• A piece of striped washi was placed at the bottom of the stamped paper.
• The pencil border was adhered at the top of the Blue Blackboard card base . 
• Now it's time to hit the books !!!

Challenge #150 will be live through September 16  and we would love for you to link up a project of your own !!  Take a look at the rest of my teammate's projects over at the blog HERE . We hope that you are inspired !!

Until next time -

Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

August Cookies / Take 2

The latest challenge at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie is a sweet one. We would love for you to link up a project of your own before September 3. I had a few stamp sets that I could have used but the one from Stampendous kept calling my name ! This was just the cutest inspiration photo...

I love this line of fairy stamps from Stampemdous.  The Whisper Jam  stamp seemed to be exactly what I needed for this challenge . She was such fun to color and I stamped several additional  images to color at a later date. 

• I stamped the Whisper Jam image from Stampendous on Strathmore Marker Paper with Gina K  Amalgam ink and then fussy-cut the image.
• The image was colored with  my Copics.
• I cut a piece of Jillibean Soup Coconut Lime Soup paper to fit my watercolor card base and then cut that piece of paper in half on the diagonal - from lower left to upper right.
• After adhering the diagonal piece of patterned paper to the base, I placed the stamped image on the lower right side of the card. 
• Stampin' Up Silver Glitter Glass was placed on the wings for some shimmer.
• I made a red label with my Pink Dymo Label Maker and adhered it  on the upper left side of the card. 

Take a look at all of the Design Team's projects over at the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie blog .Get inspired and create something of your own. I hope that you are all taking some time to de-stress during this period of social isolation/masking .  Get creative, read a book, write in your journal .. Take  some time to create a card to link up with us ..  And until next time .........

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity

Debra Davison

August Cookies / Take 1

Well here I go with the new Blogger !! If you ever end up reading this post, it will really be something of  a miracle.. The latest If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge is a beautiful photo of white/off-white flowers . I really do love the card I made and hope that you do too ..

I got this Close To My Heart stamp /die set  Love Your Story  last year and immediately saw it in my mind when I first looked at the latest Challenge picture. It is just so dainty and was really fun to create with .. 

• I stamped the image on Strathmore Marker paper with Gina K Obsidian Amalgam ink  and used the die to cut it out.
• I cut a piece of vintage-patterned paper to fit a black card base and stamped the sentiment at the bottom, also in Obsidian ink.
• The image was colored with my Copic markers.
• After I adhered the patterned paper to the card base, I popped up the die-cut image with Foam Tabs.

One observation about the new Blogger is the ability to size your photos.  In the older version, you had to choose a size. I found that the large often wasn't large enough but extra-large went over into the images along the right side.  Now you can use a plus or minus sign that allows you to increase or decrease the size in a much more user-friendly manner.

This Challenge runs through August 19 so please link up a project of your own . Think flowers or doilies or pearls or baskets .. I'd love to see what you create !! Take a look at my team member's projects HERE .. Thank you again for visiting Meticulosity .. I hope that you are all staying safe and healthy ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

July Cookies - Take 1

Do you think of Lemonade when you think of Summer ??  Well, If You Give a Crafter a Cookie does and that is the theme of their latest challenge.. I knew the exact stamp I wanted to use - it was perfect !!

My friend Nola Chandler designs for Impression Obsession and her fun stamp Lilly Lemonade was the first thought that popped into my head when I saw this challenge's theme ..

• I cut 2 coordinating pieces of patterned paper from the Recollections "Mint To Be"  paper pad to fit on the front of an ombre' yellow card base.
• I colored the Lilly Lemonade image with my Copic markers, trimmed the image ( leaving only a small margin ) and adhered it toward the top of the patterned paper with foam dots.
• A Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker was placed at the bottom right of the stamped image. 
• The glass of lemonade is a sticker from the Drinks sticker pad by Me & My Big Ideas.

I can't wait to see what yummy creations my teammates have come up with for this summery challenge !! Head over to the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie BLOG to check them all out. We're all into month 4 of social-distancing and mask-wearing.. How are you all doing ?? Are you being more creative or finding yourself in a crafty funk ??  We would love for you to link up a project of your own by August 5 . Please take care of yourselves and I will see you in a few weeks for the next challenge. 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

June Cookies / Take 2

For this latest Challenge at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie , we are celebrating healthcare workers !!  I'm an RN and to me, this means much more than just nurses .. There are also nursing care partners, doctors, ESD workers who clean the patient rooms ( among other tasks ), maintenance workers, registration staff and many others too numerous to mention. This post is for all of YOU !! 

I need to give a shout-out to my friend Diana Larson from DL. ART. She created the digi stamp set that I used for my card  - Hero Nurse . Her shop also has amazing crinkle ribbons and wonderful  Flair Buttons ( there are some fabulous nurse and coffee buttons too !! ) .

• I printed the Hero Nurse image and sentiment  on Strathmore 400 Series Marker Paper  .This paper pad is heavenly to use with your Copics !!
• The image was colored with my new Copic Ciao markers. They were found on clearance at Michaels for 97 cents each !!
• I used papers from the Photo Play "Living the Quarantine Life" collection .
• The nurse image was fussy-cut and mounted on a piece of paper, then adhered to a coordinating piece from the collection.
• I used a Kraft card base for this project.

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity and my tribute to ALL healthcare heroes . Please check out the blog post to see what my fabulous teammates have come up with . 

Until next time --

Stay safe AND creative

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

June Cookies / Take 1

The inspiration photo for the latest If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge is just beautiful !! I knew I wanted to use the Copic markers that I just bought and just needed to find the perfect stamp set for coloring . I'm not a blending expert but love the way these markers color  and recently found them on clearance for 97 cents each at our local Michaels.  I have been staying at home for months during the COVID-19 pandemic , except for going to work and the grocery store . So I was happy to be able to wander around Michaels for a bit when they re-opened for shoppers . Plus I had seen several posts on Facebook about the Copic clearance prices  and thought I would check it out. And I got lucky and was able to get a nice variety of colors.

• I stamped the floral bouquet and sentiment from the Close To My Heart  stamp set - Every Little Thing - on watercolor paper and a piece of pink patterned paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink .
• The image was colored with my new Copic CIAO markers .
• I adhered the stamped image to a piece of Pink Paislee "Pick-Me-Up" paper  that had some gold foil accents .
• The completed panel was then adhered to a pink woodgrain card base leaving a margin around all 4 sides .
• The sentiment was cut to fit  and popped up in the lower right corner of the card with foam tabs.

I'm sure  that my teammates have  created some beautiful cards for this challenge. Take a look over at the  If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge Blog for some inspiration !! We would love for you to link up a project of your own by June 24.  Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

May Cookies / 2020 - 2

This Challenge is #143 at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie and the inspiration photo is bright, fun and masculine. Not that tools can't be for a woman, but I'm also thinking of Father's Day coming up. So, interpret the photo in our own way and link up a project for us ..

For my card, I used a different play on tools .. My guy, Brian is an excellent chef and loves to cook on the grill. So my "tools" are for grilling - tongs and a fork !!

• I used the digi stamp BBQ Bear by Lily of the Valley Digi Shop on ETSY. The images were printed on a piece of light brown cardstock and Neenah Stardust White cardstock .
• I fussy-cut the bear pieces out of the light brown paper and adhered them to the image on the Stardust White cardstock.
• I cut the cardstock to fit on a navy A2 card base.
• I colored the image with a variety of markers - Sharpies, Faber-Castell and  Brea Reese.
• The tools were colored with a metallic TUL pen.
• I adhered 3 strips of paper that coordinated with the colors in the inspiration photo and placed them horizontally down the  right side of the card .
• A paper-punched cork heart was stapled to the upper area of the Bear using a turquoise staple. 
• The BBQ Bear image was adhered over the strips of paper on the left side of the card.

Take a moment and look at the other projects from the Design Team over at the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie BLOG . I'm excited to see what they have created !! I hope that you are all staying safe and keeping busy as we navigate these times of COVID-19.My creative motivation comes and goes. But I try to do something creative every day, even if it's just looking at a craft magazine or stamps that I haven't used yet !!

Until next time  ...

Stay Creative

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

April Cookies / 2020 - 3

The latest Challenge at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie is all about droids, wookies and princesses. I know everything about those because my guy is a bit of a Star Wars fan !! We hope that you will link up a project of your own for Challenge #141 - you have through May 13 to show us that the Force is with you !!

I'm a Star Wars fan too but also a fan of the late Carrie Fisher. So for my project, I chose to make a card with the image of Princess Leia. And I used a digi stamp set  from one of my favorite companies - Vera Lane Studio .The set also comes with a Yoda image and a second sentiment.  This card has my guy's seal of approval. I did honor his one request -- NO GLITTER !!!

• I adhered a piece of galaxy-patterned paper to a white card base.
• I printed the Leia design on a piece of Neenah Stardust White cardstock and fussy-cut the image.
• The sentiment was printed on a piece of blue-green paper and trimmed to fit next to Leia.
• Princess Leis was colored  with a variety of my favorite markers -  Staedtler, Faber-Castell  and Akashiya Sai .
• I adhered the Princes towards the left side of the card and then the sentiment next to her towards the bottom of the card. 
• Two sequins wee placed in the center of the 2 stars on the patterned paper.

Well, I hope that you like my project, whether you are a Star Wars fan or not. We will definitely be celebrating on May 4th with a Star Wars marathon - May 4th = May the Force Be With You ..  I'd love to see you link up a project in the next 2 weeks for this challenge. Also take a look at the other projects by my teammates over at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie .

Due to COVID-19, we are still staying home here in Virginia and I'm still working full time as a nurse. I'm not in direct patient care but I do work in the Telemetry Department  of my hospital remotely monitoring patients. I am hoping we have seen the worst of COVID-19 and continue to improve in our numbers so that we can soon lift  some restrictions. How are you doing these days ?? Are you more creative or more distracted ?? I really do alternate between both. But I knew I couldn't pass up this Star Wars theme..

Please take care and stay safe wherever you are.

Until next time, stay creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

April Cookies / 2020 - 2

Challenge #140 at the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge Blog is an Anything Goes Challenge . I will post the original inspiration photo that you can use if you'd like. But with all of this COVID-19 quarantine/social distancing /global pandemic happening now, we decided to make it easy for you to play along with us and not worry about a theme. Just spend some time creating and lose yourself in something that soothes your soul for a bit.  The original inspiration pic has coffee in it and you'll probably be surprised that my card doesn't include that at all !! After all, it is a favorite theme of mine !! 

I'm an RN and work at a hospital. I'm no longer in direct patient care in the ICU where I worked for 25 years, but I still take care of patients behind the scenes and work with staff daily in the Telemetry department.  COVID-19 has transformed our workplace into something I never would have thought possible.  Employee's temperatures are checked as the enter the building to begin their day.  There are NO visitors except for certain circumstances. Masks are being worn by just about everyone  in all areas of the hospital. But along with all of these strange new parts of our day, we have formed a stronger, more cohesive, supportive team !! So when I saw this image created  by my friend Lindsay Ostrom, I just had to use it for this Anything Goes Challenge. 

• I printed the Miss You image from  Lindsay on Neenah Stardust White cardstock . You can find this and other images on her Creative Hand Lettering with Lindsay Facebook page or at this Impression Obsession link . 
• I cut the image to fit on a polka-dot card base and adhered it with my Scotch Pink ATG Gun. at an angle. 
• The masks and lettering were colored with my Mildliner Double Ended Highlighters . These are such fun highlighters  - I love all of the colors !! They have a bullet tip as well as a chisel tip. 
• A piece of twine was wrapped around and then tied into a bow on the left side of the card. 

I hope that all of you are staying safe and following the rules of social distancing in your areas. The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner we can get back to some semblance of our old normal... What is happening in our hospitals on a daily basis is tragic and we all can all be a part of the solution. In the meantime, take care of your families and yourself. Set aside some time to lose yourself in creating something. Read a book . Call a friend you haven't seen in awhile. I have coffee every Saturday with a friend and we still have coffee by phone each week.. I haven't talked her into a video chat yet !!  If you want to, create something and link it to our Anything Goes Challenge here .  You have 2 weeks to join in - it runs from April 16 through April 29. I hope you will also take a look at what some other team members have created. 

Thank you so much for visiting Meticulosity.

Until next time, Stay Creative.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

March Cookies / 2020 - 2

Cookie Challenge #138 at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie had me thinking about Spring - and with all we are dealing with these days,it was a welcome task to create a card.  I am in several letter-writing groups and I send lots of postcards. I had the perfect stamp set to create a fun postcard to send to someone special. Isn't this the sweetest Inspiration photo ???

The stamp set I used is Special Delivery from The Cat's Pajamas PaperArts.  I have had it for awhile but hadn't ever inked it up. I especially loved the bird garland and thought of that set as soon as I saw this Challenge.

the promise of all things made new

• I started off by choosing a 4x6 Strathmore Watercolor Postcard.
• Using my MISTI, I stamped the bird garland on the right side of the postcard towards the top., with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.
• I placed strips of Wendy Wecchi Make Art Washi Tape down the left side of the postcard, using 3 of the coordinating patterns.
• The signpost, rabbit and house were stamped together, using my MISTI to get proper placement and a nice crisp black design.
• I colored the elements with a variety of my favorite markers - Staedtler, Tombow and Faber-Castell.
• Along the bottom of the postcard, I placed a strip of beautiful Hand-painted Wildflowers washi tape from PaperHouse Productions.I folded it so there is also a strip on the other side of the card.

We would love it if you linked up a project during this Challenge - you have through April 1 to be inspired by our lovely photo. Head on over to the Challenge Blog to see what the other Design Team members have created !! 

Until next time, please stay safe. Curl up with a good book or make a card. Listen to some music or call a friend you haven't spoken to in awhile.  Practice social-distancing while still staying connected to friends and family. And stay creative !!  

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

March Cookies / 2020 - 1

I love the inspiration photo for Challenge #137 at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie. I have never been to Paris but love all the images that relate to the city - the Eiffel Tower, macarons, those cute little dogs, cafes ... I did have  several stamps I could have used but was just searching for digi stamps for the fun of it and found one I couldn't resist !! I hope that you like it as much as I do ..

As soon as I saw the Paris Coloring Page from Cross Stitchy Designs on Etsy, I knew that I wanted to paper-piece it. Luckily, the image in my head translated successfully to paper !!  I love it when that happens..

• I printed the image 4 times on a sheet of watercolor paper. The size was 3.5 x 5 ..
• I adhered 4 different colors of ledger paper to a sheet of copy paper and printed the image again 4 times .
• The houses were fussy cut individually so I could use each of the 4 colors on all 4 cards. 
• I cut the watercolor images to fit my card bases and then colored them and the fussy-cut houses with my favorite markers - Faber Castell, Sharpies, Tombow and Staedtler.
• I adhered the houses side by side with Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue, using each of the 4 colors of ledger paper.
• The clouds for this card were fussy-cut from the blue ledger paper .
• The completed panel was adhered to a fun watercolor card base. I got a box of 50 card/envelope sets for $5 with 10 different color patterns at Hobby Lobby.

This challenge is open through March 18 and we hope that you will link up a project of your own. Take a look at the other team member's cards HERE - they are pretty amazing !! 

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity.

Until next time, Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity 

February Cookies / 2020 - 2

Another challenge is here over at the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge Blog and this one  - # 136 - is all about Celebrations !! Get inspired by our cookie photo this time and link up a project of your own before March 5. I am currently at home with the flu and a nasty bronchitis so this post will be short and sweet.. 

For my card I used stamps from Anthony's Paper Craft. I am a member of their Design Team also and these are 2 of my favorite stamp sets. Village Set 3 was used for the diner image and Sentiments by DeZinesbyEM  provided the sentiment and cake slice.

• I had a fabulous Retro paper pad by American Crafts - Sparkle City Project Pad  - that included papers and stickers. The diner was stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink on a piece of cloud-patterned paper, leaving the cool dotted border at the top.
• The sentiment was stamped above the diner with a Bahama Blue Memento Dew Drop ink .
• I placed a fun retro arrow sign at the top of the dotted border, pointing down to the diner. 
• The cake slice was an afterthought when the card was completed but I think it was the perfect touch !!
• Images were colored with my favorite markers - a variety of Tombows, Faber-Castells & Staedtlers. 
• I mounted the completed stamped image onto a multi-colored blue card base.

Thank you for stopping by to see my latest post !! Please take a look at all of the other team member's projects over at the main BLOG. We would love for you to link up something of your own too !! The Challenges run for 2 weeks.

This diner stamp reminded me of the Beacon Diner in Hometown, PA. I spent many hours here with my family as a child !! This post brings back some wonderful memories..

Until next time - Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity